Millions of Women Shared Personal Information on Dating Safety App. A Hacker Just Leaked It

Dating Safety App for Women Experiences Data Breach Affecting Thousands of Users

A popular dating safety app designed to help women identify ‘red flags’ from men while dating recently became the target of a hacking incident. Tea, the app in question, announced a worrying data breach on July 25th, which compromised around 72,000 images of its users. The breach was discovered when an anonymous user leaked these images on the message board 4chan, as reported by 404 Media.

The company behind Tea revealed that the breach occurred on July 25th at 6:44 a.m. PST due to a compromised legacy data storage system. This unauthorized access resulted in the exposure of a dataset from before February 2024. Among the accessed images were approximately 13,000 selfies and photo identifications submitted by users during the account verification process, along with around 59,000 publicly viewable images from within the app, such as posts, comments, and direct messages.

The breach reportedly only impacted users who had signed up for the app prior to February 2024, with no compromise to email addresses or phone numbers, according to Tea. To address the situation, the company has initiated an investigation with cybersecurity experts to assess the full extent and implications of the incident.

Tea was originally introduced in 2023 to empower women with the necessary tools for safe dating practices in an environment often negligent of their protection. The app allows users to access a platform for posts, set alerts for information on potential dates, ex-partners, or partners, and even verify their loyalty. Safety features include background checks, a catfish image search, and a sex offender search, amongst others, aimed at providing a secure space for women to seek advice and support.

Sean Cook, the founder of Tea, drew inspiration from his mother’s online dating encounters when creating the app. Despite the breach, Tea remains a highly ranked app under the Lifestyle category on Apple’s App Store. An interesting approach by the company was the initial requirement for users to provide IDs and selfies for gender verification, a stipulation later removed in 2023.

Following the breach, 404 Media reported that a user shared the database of accessed images on 4chan, prompting a swift response from Tea. The company underlined its commitment to user privacy and data security, assuring that all necessary measures were being taken to prevent further exposure and enhance platform security. Additionally, Tea confirmed its cooperation with law enforcement to aid in the investigation.

As the investigation unfolds, Tea emphasised the limited linking of photos to specific users within the app and reiterated its dedication to safeguarding user privacy. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the critical need for robust cybersecurity measures, especially in platforms handling sensitive personal information.

Overall, the breach highlights the ongoing challenges faced by online platforms in ensuring the protection of user data. Tea’s proactive response and commitment to transparency and cooperation with law enforcement are crucial steps in mitigating the impact of such breaches and rebuilding user trust in the app.